Grimsby would lose out to loyal Tory areas like Dorking in Surrey, pictured right (Image: Getty Images)

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Residents in North East Lincolnshire are facing cuts in public services of more than £2m as the government throws money at traditional Tory supporting councils in its southern heartlands.

The government is poised to press ahead with its "fair funding" review which could see a swathe of local councils along the so-called "Red Wall" of former Labour seats lose millions of pounds in adult social care funding - right after Boris Johnson promised to "level up" the north following his election victory.

The review is understood to be the result of Tory shires arguing for a change to the methodology used to allocate funding, arguing that they had been given less money per head of population than large towns and cities, who historically backed Labour.

However, Labour councils have argued that deprivation should be a factor when deciding how cash should be allocated.

Wealthier areas in the south, such as Surrey and Kent, could gain £26.3m and £12.6m, respectively. Overall the LGA analysis found that councils in some of England's most deprived areas could lose £320m a year, while those in the south, and mainly in the south east, could pick up £300m.

Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers, who has represented the seaside town since 2010, said that while the analysis should be "treated with caution", he would "stand up" for local authority funding.

"Clearly if that is the case it is my job to stand up for funding in my area.

"If my council are adversely affected by this I will make my views known and I will express the concerns of local people."

Grimsby's new Conservative MP Lia Nici did not respond to requests for comment.

The news will be a blow to local council leaders in the north, who have seen their local council budgets eroded by 10 years of austerity.

View of Dorking, the market town in Surrey, situated in the valley of the Pipp Brook between the North Downs and the Greensand Ridge, England, UK

Matthew Patrick, the Labour leader in the council, called the review - which was announced under former Prime Minister Theresa May - an "absolute betrayal".

"Over the last 10 years the north of England has been hit by austerity harder than anywhere else.

"Frontline services and social services are already creaking at the seams, and between £70m and £80m has already been taken out of our budget.

"Although this doesn't impress me, it doesn't surprise me either."

Councillor Matthew Patrick was the lead councillor behind the motion

He added: “Conservative councils and MPs should be shouting from the rooftops that local government should be properly funded to support communities achieve their potential.

"I look forward to seeing both of the areas Members of Parliament joining Labour MPs through the lobbies against Boris Johnson's damaging plans."

A spokesperson for NELC said: “From 2021, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government are adopting a new funding model for local authorities. The details of this new model are still being worked through and are expected to be published in the Spring 2020.

“The figures released by the LGA rely on data that hasn’t actually been released yet, as well as some aspects which are awaiting confirmation by the government.

“As such, we cannot be certain how our budget will change going forward.”

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Local government secretary Robert Jenrick said: "We are committed to fairer funding and leveling up in the Midlands and across the whole country.

"This new Conservative government will work hard to repay the trust put in us by voters at the election and make sure our local services get the funding they need.

"The figures reported over the weekend were misleading, and a helpful clarification has since been published.

"We have already made an additional £1.5bn of funding available for adult and children's social care that was welcomed by the LGA at the time for providing the certainty and stability needed for the year ahead."

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Mr Johnson has repeatedly placed the north at the heart of his government's agenda, promising to "level up" the regions through increased investment in transport, infrastructure and technology.

He also thanked people who may have "lent" the Conservatives their vote and promised that he would "never take your support for granted".

Any move that could undermine his pledge could generate a backlash from first-time Tory voters in the north and the new cohort of Tory MPs in Labour's former heartlands.

The people of Grimsby voted in a Tory MP for the first time in 74 years in December.

Ms Nici overturned a 2,565 majority to replace Labour's Melanie Onn as the town's MP, while in Scunthorpe, Holly Mumby-Croft replaced Labour's Nic Dakin - becoming the first Tory MP for the area since 1983 and the town's first ever female representative.

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An LGA spokesperson said: "This analysis does not represent LGA policy, an LGA policy proposal, or an LGA preference. It is an attempt to provide some information to councils that might help gauge the likely impact of the fair funding review on the relative distribution of adult social care funding.

“It is absolutely crucial that the government provides official early exemplifications and consults on options as soon as possible.

“We remain clear that additional funding will be needed alongside the implementation of the fair funding review and that no authority should lose out. This is the only way for it to be sustainable and for councils to be able to meet the significant cost and demand pressures they face now and in the future.